Current through all regulations passed and filed through March 18, 2024
(A) This rule covers the licensing of
radioactive waste processors. The requirements of this rule are in addition to
those in Chapters 3701:1-40, 3701:1-44 and 3701:1-56 of the Administrative
Code, and other rules pursuant to Chapter 3748. of the Revised Code.
(B) The performance objectives for a
radioactive waste processing facility are to:
(1) Protect the environment, the general
public, and workers from unnecessary exposures to ionizing radiation and
radionuclide releases exceeding the limits and constraints delineated in
Chapter 3701:1-38 of the Administrative Code;
(2) Keep radioactive material secure from
unauthorized access or removal; and
(3) Use sound engineering designs and prudent
procedural practices to maintain doses to workers and the general public and
radionuclide releases to the environment as low as reasonably achievable
(ALARA).
(C) A facility
is exempt from the licensing requirements of this rule to process radioactive
waste if:
(1) The facility, in accordance with
a specific license, processes only its own radioactive waste;
(2) Site decommissioning activities are
conducted on-site in accordance with a specific license; or
(3) The facility is not required to have a
decommissioning funding plan pursuant to rule
3701:1-40-17
of the Administrative Code.
(D) The application for a radioactive waste
processing facility shall provide sufficient information on the facility and
its operators, and the types of waste processed, to provide reasonable
assurance that the performance objectives in paragraph (B) of this rule will be
met. As a minimum, the applicant shall do the following:
(1) Submit a license application pursuant to
Chapter 3701:1-40 of the Administrative Code;
(2) Provide a description of the site
suitability for processing radioactive waste for each of the following
categories:
(a) The location of the facility
in terms of land use. Include in the description the nearby structures present,
local land usage, local populations, public facilities, local roads and
traffic;
(b) The characteristics of
the site in accordance with criteria contained in paragraph (E)(1) of this
rule; and
(c) The site radiological
environmental monitoring program to meet the criteria in paragraph (I) of this
rule. Include baseline information for the data to be collected.
(3) Provide a complete description
of the facility, including but not limited to drawings, to meet the criteria of
paragraphs (E) and (F) of this rule.
(4) Submit details on the operation of the
facility covering the topics listed in paragraph (G) of this rule.
(5) Submit the quality assurance program used
in accordance with rule
3701:1-54-04 of
the Administrative Code to ensure that the construction, maintenance and
operation of the facility meets the performance objectives, is consistent with
the contents of the license application, and satisfies the requirements for the
receipt, handling, processing and shipping of waste in this rule.
(6) In addition to the requirements of rule
3701:1-40-38
of the Administrative Code, provide a description of the community awareness
and communication program to be used. Identify the means of communication,
types of information to be provided, and when the information will be provided
to notify the community of the proposed operation and licensing, and identify
how the effectiveness of the communication will be monitored and
ensured.
(7) Describe the program
for training personnel in procedures for packaging, handling, placement,
inspection, surveying and emergency response for radioactive waste processing,
storage and transportation.
(E) The facility design, location, and site
geology shall provide reasonable assurance that radioactive materials will
remain isolated from the environment as intended.
(1) The overall hydrogeologic environment of
the site, in combination with engineering design, shall act to minimize and
control potential radioactive material migration into surface water and ground
water in the event of an accidental release. Identification and consideration
of the hydrogeologic environment shall include, but is not limited to:
(a) Upstream drainage features including the
potential for frequent ponding and slope stability;
(b) Characteristics of nearby rivers,
streams, wetlands, or other bodies of water;
(c) Distance to the water table and
aquifer;
(d) Analysis of earthquake
potential or other land movement and its consequences; and
(e) Soil types under the facility with
respect to compatibility with the foundation and structural design.
(2) Ensure that the licensee's
structures shall meet the standards prescribed in ASCE/SEI 7-10 "Minimum Design
Loads for Buildings and Other Structures" for a Category II facility as defined
in the standard. This publication may be purchased from the "American Society
of Civil Engineers, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, Virginia 20191-4400,
telephone (800) 548-2723," or this publication can be viewed at "the Bureau of
Environmental Health and Radiation Protection
library, 246 N. High Street Columbus, Ohio 43215." Facilities that will have
containers exceeding type A quantities of radioactive material in normal form,
as defined in Chapter 3701:1-50 of the Administrative Code, must meet the
criteria for a category III facility as defined in the standard.
(3) No facility shall be:
(a) Located in a one hundred year flood
plain;
(b) Located in a wetland;
or
(c) Operated where an emergency
response plan would be required as identified in paragraph (G) of rule
3701:1-40-14
of the Administrative Code.
(4) The facility shall be constructed to:
(a) Safely handle and process the waste
commensurate with the characteristics of the waste;
(b) Aid in fire suppression, provide filtered
air ventilation, maintain environmental controls, and to the extent possible,
be constructed of nonflammable building materials; and
(c) Use materials considered to ease future
decontamination and decommissioning efforts.
(5) The facility shall incorporate the
following design features to aid in keeping the radioactive waste isolated.
(a) Buildings and areas used for processing
radioactive waste shall have appropriate ventilation and fire protection
systems to minimize the release of radioactive materials into the soil, water,
or atmosphere.
(b) Provide
facilities and equipment for repackaging leaking or damaged
containers.
(c) The facility shall
be designed to confine spills. Independent and diverse engineering barriers
shall be provided as necessary to minimize potential releases from the
facility.
(d) Any person's
radioactive waste may not be held on site for more than one year from the time
of receipt.
(F)
Using both general descriptions and detailed drawings of the facility, identify
the following features, and any design features used in support of the
performance objectives.
(1) Describe the
ventilation system and how it will assure adequate environmental controls of
the processing and holding areas. Describe any applicable exhaust air
filtration used.
(2) Describe the
fire protection and suppression system to minimize the likelihood and extent of
fire.
(3) Describe the physical
security of the radioactive waste areas and the facility.
(4) Identify radioactive waste processing
areas and where radioactive waste will be held. Identify how the processing
areas and radioactive waste containers will be accessible for routine
inspections.
(5) Describe the
locations of radioactive waste handling areas, air sampling stations, effluent
filters and any sources of flammable or explosive material.
(6) Provide a description and accurate
drawing of any required special handling equipment to be employed.
(7) Describe the equipment installed to
maintain control over the maximum concentrations of radioactive materials in
gaseous and liquid effluents produced during normal operation and the means
employed to keep levels of radioactive material in effluents to unrestricted
areas ALARA.
(8) Identify the
building codes and standards applied to the design and construction of the
facility, and verify that the facility has been certified as complying with
these codes.
(G) Pursuant
to the requirements of paragraph (B) of this rule, describe the following.
(1) Procedures to secure radioactive
materials from unauthorized access and removal, including control of access to
the facility;
(2) Procedures used
to ensure that all radioactive waste subject to transportation will meet
transportation requirements;
(3)
Radiation safety program for control and monitoring of radioactive effluents to
ensure compliance with the occupational radiation exposure limits, and to
control contamination of personnel, vehicles, equipment, buildings, and the
facility. Both routine operations and accidents must be addressed. The program
description must include procedures, instrumentation, facilities, and
equipment;
(4) Procedures for
receipt and acceptance of waste packages. The procedures shall include
examination of shipping documents, visual check of waste package, survey for
removable contamination and external radiation level, identification of
packages requiring remediation, corrective actions, and disposition of
unacceptable packages;
(5) A
program for safe placement and inspection of waste and maintaining occupational
exposures ALARA when it is not being processed. The program shall include
periodic radiation and contamination surveys of individual packages;
(6) A program for periodic inspections of
radioactive waste packages to ensure that they retain their integrity and
containment of radioactive waste;
(7) The procedures and equipment used for
remote handling and/or repackaging damaged or leaking waste
containers;
(8) General flow
diagram and detailed procedures of radioactive waste receipt, handling,
processing, and storage operations;
(9) Spill detection equipment and cleanup
plans for the site and associated transportation of radioactive material;
and
(10) A system for maintaining
inventory of receipt, processing, storage, and transfer of radioactive
waste.
(H) The radiation
safety requirements shall include the following documents and content:
(1) The radiation safety manual shall include
a description of personnel monitoring methods, training and procedures to be
followed to limit employees' exposure to radioactive materials, and methods to
keep radiation exposures ALARA;
(2)
The operating manual shall include procedures to protect the integrity of the
equipment and radioactive material containment during normal handling,
processing, and storage conditions, and when shipping radioactive materials;
and
(3) An emergency response
manual shall include procedures to address likely accident
conditions.
(I) The
facility shall maintain a radiological environmental monitoring program, to
measure and monitor radionuclides in all pathways to individuals, the
environment, and the general public from radiological operations. In
establishing such a program, the facility must do the following:
(1) Identify all the possible onsite and
offsite environmental radiological exposure pathways. The exposure pathways
shall include but are not limited to applicable air, soil, groundwater, surface
water, and vegetation. The offsite pathway exposure locations shall take into
consideration meteorological, terrestrial, and emission source
parameters;
(2) Describe the
environmental monitoring program to provide data to evaluate radionuclide
releases and accumulations in the environment;
(3) Describe the action levels of
radionuclides in the environment that will initiate an investigation or
corrective action; and
(4) Describe
the plan for taking corrective measures if an unintentional release of
radionuclides material is indicated.
(J) The licensee shall:
(1) Keep records showing the receipt,
inventory, processing, transfer, and disposal of all radioactive waste;
and
(2) Prepare and send an annual
summary report to the director and publish a local notice of the report's
availability to the public. The report shall include, at a minimum, a summary
of radioactive waste received, processed, disposed, transferred, incidents, and
environmental monitoring results. The annual summary report shall be completed
and submitted within ninety days after the end of the licensee's fiscal
year.
(K) The processor
shall contractually agree with the generator to the return of radioactive waste
to the generator. The waste processor may dispose of the radioactive waste on
behalf of the generator at a licensed disposal facility in a timely
manner.